A Study of Wounds of War in Island of a Thousand Mirrors by Nayomi Munaweera

Only after independence did Sri Lankan literature take off. The literature of the island did not contribute much to European dominance over it. Literature during the post-independence era was greatly influenced by ethnic strife. As a developing nation, Sri Lanka has many stories to tell. Literature has continued to portray tales of history, religion, politics, the beauty of nature, and the country's brutality. People of both the major ethnicities of Sinhala and Tamil fled the country as racial animosity swept over the whole nation. One such author who fled the nation owing to the war is Nayomi Munaweera. When she was three years old, her family relocated to Nigeria, and then later to the United States. Munaweera's first book, Island of a Thousand Mirrors (ITM), was released in 2012. Through two female characters, one who is Sinhalese and the other who is Tamil, the narrative depicts the two sides of one protracted, cruel battle. What Lies Between Us, her second book, was released in 2016. It depicted the inner battle of the unidentified heroine whose secrets made her tenuous from infancy to maturity. Compared to many male authors, Munaweera did a better job of capturing the hardships of women throughout the conflict.